New! BEST OF INDOCHINA: Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

Date

10 Oct - 30 Oct

Duration

21 Days

Price

$7465

Availability

Book Now

Post-tour extension: 7-Day Tribal Hai Giang

This all-time popular tour has been revamped with added special treats such as the gorgeous dry Ha Long Bay with a boat ride to see the amazing caves. Sample the royal Hue cuisine in a beautifully restored Vietnamese home and a day in the life of a farmer in Hoi An to name a few. This ultimate Indochina journey still combines the best of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and to this we added specialty street tours opening up the daily experiences of locals in the markets and restaurants. Fly to the enchanting city of Luang Prabang, Laos, the historic, religious and artistic capital of Laos, with its misty mountains, golden spires, Buddhist pagodas and a wealth of textile shop houses. Visit dreamlike temples, see monks receiving alms, and walk up Phousi Hill for magnificent sunset views. Exchange travel tales in a Lao / French style café, see the artisan weavers of world-renowned Laotian textile design, and admire the intricate tile work at the UNESCO Heritage temples.

Explore the lost city of Angkor, the seat of the Khmer Empire that once ruled nearly all Southeast Asia. Explore these magnificent temple ruins and be astounded by some of the most inspired monuments ever conceived. Fly to Saigon the gateway to the watery world of the Mekong Delta. Overnight in a on a beautiful wooden boat with all the amenities. Cruise past floating villages and markets in the Mekong Delta. Saigon is Vietnam at its most dizzying: a high-octane city of commerce and culture with limitless energy. It is often called the Paris of the East, with its trendy boutiques, fine dining restaurants and local cafes. Go on a walking tour of Saigon’s back alleys, continue to the enigmatic Bitexco Tower close by for sunset. See the Presidential Palace and elegant colonial buildings, and amble Dong Khoi Street with its fine shopping, cafés and restaurants. Take in a cultural performance at the Opera House.

Visit the palace complex in Hue and sail on the Perfume River to impressive Thien Mu Pagoda. Sample Hue’s renowned cuisine in a lovingly restored home with a beautiful garden. Talk to the owner who saved pieces from homes throughout Hue for this restoration. See views from the Hai Van Pass on the way to Hoi An. Enjoy a walking tour of Hoi An’s old city with its quaint lantern lined streets and iconic Japanese Bridge. During the 17th century this was an important art and trade center and its architectural gems incorporate Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and French influences.

Experience the graceful city of Hanoi with its intriguing mix of French-colonial and Vietnamese architecture amidst tree-lined boulevards. Explore Hanoi’s classical sites and millennia-old history, visit a local home and see Maison Centrale the infamous Hoa Lo Prison. Take a rickshaw through the winding streets of the old craft quarter old quarter and see an evening performance of the uniquely traditional Vietnamese art of water puppet theater. Get a sense of Vietnam’s cultural diversity at the Museum of Ethnology. Go on a fun-filled street food tour like the one the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain took President Obama on. Explore countryside villages by bike or foot, meet farmers and see their temples. Have lunch with a local family before exploring a stalagmite filled cave by boat. Stay in an idyllic resort surrounded by paddy fields and the surreal karst mountain formations. Cruise on a deluxe boat through the quietest parts of Ha Long Bay, studded with dramatic karst limestone islands and caves before returning home or extending your stay to visit the northern tribes of beautiful Vietnam on our 7-Day Tribal Ha Giang extension.